Inducing secondary metabolite production by the endophytic fungus Chaetomium sp. through fungal-bacterial co-culture and epigenetic modification

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A new fusarielin analogue from Penicillium sp. isolated from the Mediterranean sponge Ircinia oros

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New 2-Methoxy Acetylenic Acids and Pyrazole Alkaloids from the Marine Sponge Cinachyrella sp.

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Absolute configuration and anti-tumor activity of torrubiellin B

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A novel 10-membered macrocyclic lactone from the mangrove-derived endophytic fungus Annulohypoxylon sp.

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Induced secondary metabolites from the endophytic fungus Aspergillus versicolor through bacterial co-culture and OSMAC approaches

LBK

Protein engineering strategies for microbial production of isoprenoids

© 2020 The Authors Isoprenoids comprise one of the most chemically diverse family of natural products with high commercial interest. The structural diversity of isoprenoids is mainly due to the modular activity of three distinct classes of enzymes, including prenyl diphosphate synthases, terpene synthases, and cytochrome P450s. The heterologous expression of these enzymes in microbial systems is suggested to be a promising sustainable way for the production of isoprenoids. Several limitations are associated with native enzymes, such as low stability, activity, and expression profiles. To address these challenges, protein engineering has been applied to improve the catalytic activity, selectivity, and substrate turnover of enzymes. In addition, the natural promiscuity and modular fashion of isoprenoid enzymes render them excellent targets for combinatorial studies and the production of new-to-nature metabolites. In this review, we discuss key individual and multienzyme level strategies for the successful implementation of enzyme engineering towards efficient microbial production of high-value isoprenoids. Challenges and future directions of protein engineering as a complementary strategy to metabolic engineering are likewise outlined

Lead Compounds from Mangrove-Associated Microorganisms

The mangrove ecosystem is considered as an attractive biodiversity hotspot that is intensively studied in the hope of discovering new useful chemical scaffolds, including those with potential medicinal application. In the past two decades, mangrove-derived microorganisms, along with mangrove plants, proved to be rich sources of bioactive secondary metabolites as exemplified by the constant rise in the number of publications, which suggests the great potential of this important ecological niche. The present review summarizes selected examples of bioactive compounds either from mangrove endophytes or from soil-derived mangrove fungi and bacteria, covering the literature from 2014 to March 2018. Accordingly, 163 natural products are described in this review, possessing a wide range of potent bioactivities, such as cytotoxic, antibacterial, antifungal, α-glucosidase inhibitory, protein tyrosine phosphatase B inhibitory, and antiviral activities, among others